Holidays are at the doorstep and, in general, we give ourselves a few days away from the urban context, in the mountains, countryside or the sea.

These moments are excellent opportunities to recharge after the year of study or work, to temporarily abandon daily worries and, why not, get back into shape in body and mind.

Since your yoga class is probably also interrupted for holidays, why not take advantage of the pristine landscapes that host us for a beneficial pranayama session (breath control)?

Here are 3 breathing techniques to try during the holidays.

Breathing techniques: advice

To dedicate yourself to breathing techniques, it would be desirable to carve out a moment and a quiet place, possibly without being disturbed.

If you are in the mountains, you can try them also during the walk, if you are on the beach we advise you to put headphones with the appropriate music to isolate you from the chaotic context (if you are not in an isolated place where the sound of the waves will be the ideal setting ).

Here are 3 techniques you can do yours.

1. Abdominal breathing

Nothing better to start than a sweet abdominal breathing that you can perform even lying on the couch, on a lawn, on the mattress.

We bring our attention to the abdomen and begin to perceive the diaphragm. Slowly, in inspiration, we observe the navel rise and the diaphragm lower, in exhalation, the navel falls and the diaphragm rises.

The more you succeed in performing this breathing technique slowly, the more you will taste the immediate relaxing effect .

You can also share it with your children, perhaps infusing them with imaginative touches: imagining the belly as a balloon can be an evocative image for the little ones, but the space is open to the creativity of the parents ...

Yoga and the mountains: a unique opportunity!

2. Sama vritti pranayama

This breathing technique, called more amicably " square breathing " can also be performed on the beach or in motion.

It consists of keeping all four sentences of breathing for the same time : inhalation, holding to full lungs, exhaling, holding to empty lungs. Each phase is the side of a square imaginary that symbolizes the whole technique.

The practitioner will have to choose a maintenance time and keep it for each phase: for example, inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds and keep the lungs empty for four seconds.

The maintenance time is extremely subjective: start with a small number and then you will notice how slowly your breathing will become longer and longer.

This type of breathing is very useful for finding concentration quickly and calming the nervous system .

3. Mrindanga Pranayama

We propose a technique a little different from the previous ones called " drum breathing ". It is performed while sitting, if possible, with the legs crossed and the back straight.

The thoracic cage becomes the resonance chamber from which the technique takes its name and can be struck in two ways: a milder one, that is, with the fingertips of the fingers tapping, a more vigorous one with the hands closed in a fist .

Personally I prefer the latter, but the substance does not change: in the inhalation, beat with the fists the whole area from the lungs and the clavicles in a delicate way, obviously, without hurting you. In exhalation, suspend the percussion. And then resume.

To be fair, this technique undergoes small variations depending on the sources: some suggest to drum up during retention with full lungs, others both in inspiration and expiration. The one recommended is the way I was taught by my teachers and the one I propose and apply with satisfaction.

In any case, it is very appropriate as a "cleansing" of the lungs from mucus or phlegm deposits and is extremely recommended for smokers .